Festival of Lights Berlin

Come to Berlin and experience  fantastic light shows all through the city center.
This year more than 60 sights, squares and buildings in Berlin will be amazingly illuminated during the coming two weeks. If you visit Berlin during this time, go for sightseeing by night!!!!

All major sights like Brandenburg Gate, Berliner Dom and the TV Tower are being put in a different artistic light. For a list of all illumated sights and buildings klick here.

The Festival kick off will be held at Potsdamer Platz, at the new festival centre. The city Mayor Klaus Wowereit will be there to open the festival.

This is a must do for all (hobby) photographers wo will be strolling around the Berlin sights at night with camera and tripod to shoot some really unique pics of Germanys beautiful capital.
More than 60 Berlin buildings and landmarks are atmospherically illuminated during the Festival of Lights 2010. The festival centre DomAquarée, the TV Tower, the boulevard Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate and the Funkturm are just some spectacular highlights in the Festival of Lights 2010. Many more unique illuminations at a high artistic level are waiting for you to see!
From the 13th until 24 October, Berlin will sparkle as a range of illuminations and projections light up more than 60 famous landmarks and spaces.

Special “lightseeing” tours on the Light-Liner bus, by boat on the Light-Ship, on foot with the Light-Cruso or by rickshaw with the Light-Velo will give locals and visitors alike the chance to experience the creative compositions up close.
Complementary to the festival, there will be numerous cultural events dealing with the subject “light”. On the 16th of Oktober, for instance, the night of open doors takes place. This offers visitors a chance to actually go inside some of the illuminated buildings and offers a look behind the scenes. Klick here to find out which buildings will be open for a visit. For a programm of the festival check the festival homepage HERE.

Furthermore there is an amazing Jazz Feast, Jazz at the Minister Gardens, on October 22nd and a spectacular Finish on Oktober 23rd, the CITY LIGHT RUN!

Have fun exploring Berlin by night!

Still looking for a nice place to stay in Berlin, stop looking and check out the EastSeven Berlin Hostel website.

Berlin

10 cool tips to have an amazing time in Berlin and save some money while you´re at it!!!!!

EastSeven Berlin Hostel recommends cool activities and sightseeing spots, all of which are free of charge.
We have made a list of 10 interesting things to see and do in the exciting metropole Berlin.

Here is our TOP 10:

1.Tacheles – One-time department store then SS headquarters in the heart of Berlins former Jewish quarter, the Tacheles was taken over by squatters in 91. Behind the buildings bombed out façade is a wealth of art studios, two cinemas, 3 bars, a beach bar, a café and a newly opened bourgeois restaurant.Watch out for the fire-breathing dragon in Café Zapata! Just opposite youll find delicious French fries served from a dodgy looking trailer called Beckers Fritten
2.Gendarmenmarkt – Touted by many guidebooks as the prettiest square in Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt is famous for its two churches – one Protestant, one Catholic – each built opposite each other by the opposing religion. Not often that happens. TIP: Fassbender & Rausch, possibly the worlds greatest chocolate shop, is on the corner of Gendarmenmarkt

3.Kollwitzplatz – Käthe Kollwitz, the famous left-wing, anti-war artist, would no doubt take great pride that not only is there a square named after her (complete with bronze statue) but that its one that was once a meeting point for intellectuals and artists during Prenzlauer Bergs nasty East Germany days. Dont miss Kollwitzplatz`s famous market on saturdays
Enjoy amazing cakes and delicious coffee at the Anna Blume café on the corner of Sredzkistrasse and Kollwitzstrasse.
Just round the corner is Rykestrasse Synagogue, Germany’s largest synagogue.

4.Museums on Thursday night for free: NO ADMISSION FOR ALL STATE MUSEUMS
don’t pay money for culture! most of the state museums are admission free on Thursdays. Simply ask at the reception where to go!
5.Reichstag- The German parliament building, re-opened in 1999 after the government and most of the ministries moved from Bonn to Berlin. British architect Lord Norman Foster redesigned this place, complete with a huge glass dome with public access, so you can watch the politicians at work.
You can get in for FREE. Try to avoid the queues at the Reichstag, make a reservation at Kaefers restaurant at the top of the glass dome. This should get you in the side door.
6.Holocaust Memorial- Berlins ultra-controversial memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, 2,711 concrete blocks jutting off at offensive and suffocating angles. Co-incidentally only a stones throw away from the site of Adolf Hitlers former underground lair, the Führerbunker.
Walk through the memorial, youll quickly realise its not the kind of place you want to have a summer picnic at.

7.Potsdamer Platz- This was the glitzy centre of Germanys debauched 1920s metropolis, and the site Europes first traffic light system. Smashed into rubble during WW II, its now home to Europes fastest elevator and a mass of steel and glass buildings said to represent the future of Berlin.
Check out the Sony Centre and Cinemax cinemas for films in their original language (e.g. English, this is not for free of course!)
8.Volkspark Friedrichshain -A beautiful park, excellent for jogging or having a picnic or barbeque. In the middle you’ll find Friedrichshains highest hill, which provides a 78-metre high view over Berlins flat terrain. The hill was actually man-made to cover up a destroyed anti-aircraft bunker from World War II, as well as several tonnes of bombed out rubble. Also you can play beachvolleyball for free here. They have a special area reserved for beachsports. Its free to use for anyone but you´d have to bring your own equipment.

9.Fleamarket -Sunday is fleamarket day. Close to the hostel (500 m) you find the Arkonaplatz Fleamarket and the famous Mauerpark fleamarket. If you don´t want to buy something – no problem,  you first of all go there to see all kind of urban subjects with hangover and even sober ones. Berliners go there – you should as well, and ofcourse there is no entrance fee here!
10.Brandenburg Gate -Every 10, 20 and 50 cent German Euro coin is minted with a picture of this big city gate on its reverse side. Stranded in a lonely no-mans land between 1961 and 89 thanks to the East German government, no other structure in Berlin better symbolises the temporary division of the city. Just go to foot from Unter den Linden and take a closer look at this immense Gate. This Beautiful sight in Berlin is also admission free to visit.

Have fun exploring berlin on a low budget! for more cool events & parties in Berlin check out our online staff-recommendations HERE!

Berlin

The Berliner Festspiele presents an unique theatre experience

The Theatertreffen/Berliner Festspiele, 3sat/ZDFtheaterkanal and the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz are embarking on an unusual collaboration. For the first time the three Theatertreffen productions recorded by 3sat/ZDFtheaterkanal will be shown on a giant screen in the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz. Theatre-lovers, tourists and curious passers-by can all become part of the Theatertreffen free of charge.

On show are:
Fri 14 May 20:00 “Der goldene Drache”
by Roland Schimmelpfennig, director: Roland Schimmelpfennig
Burgtheater Vienna (television director: Hannes Rossacher)
Sat 15 May 20:00 “Die Kontrakte des Kaufmanns”
by Elfriede Jelinek, director: Nicolas Stemann
Thalia Theater, Hamburg, in co-production with Schauspiel Köln
(television director: Harald Spieß)
Sun 16 May 17:00 “Riesenbutzbach. Eine Dauerkolonie”
A project by Christoph Marthaler and Anna Viebrock
director: Christoph Marthaler; Wiener Festwochen (television director: Andreas Morell)

We are pleased to invite you to experience these special theatre evenings on the big screen.

(text: berlinerfestspiele.de)

There is no entrance fee, so feel free to stop by and be part of an unique ´theatre-expierience´.

For more information on the Theatertreffen Festival, that takes place in Berlin from May 7th till May 24th, check the website.

For more information on events, parties and things to do in Berlin, please check our personal online staff-recommendations at the EastSeven Berlin Hostel website.

Berlin

Berlinale 2010, the 60th anniversary of Berlins most appealing international filmfestival

The Berlin Berlinale is the city´s larges event, with more than 19000 film professonials from 120 different countries are all coming to the exciting capital of Germany. Artists from around the world are attracted to Berlin. Many consider Berlin the unofficial capital of German film. It is the home to a rich cinema scene and a diverse, discerning public. Also, Berlin has captured the imagination of countless filmmakers. Over and over again, the city has served as the backdrop for great silver screen productions, often becoming itself the secret protagonist of the movie. Think “film” and “Berlin” is bound to spring to mind. For two weeks every year Berlin is totally enraptured by the Berlinale.
This festival enjoys by far the largest audience of any filmfestival in the world, with more than 200000 tickets that are being sold, each year…
Art, glamour, business and parties meet here at the Berlinale the coming to weeks. Potsdamer Platz will be the festivals centre.
About 400 films are shown,  the majority of these films are world or European premieres.
There are a couple of different sections in which the movies are divided; big international movies in the Competition, independent and art-house productions in Panorama, movies specially for a young audience in the Generation section, the most exciting German cinema productions in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, an in-depth look at films from “distant” countries and experimental forms in the Forum, as well as an investigation of diverse cinematic possibilities in the Berlinale Shorts.
The programme is rounded off by a thematic Retrospective and a Homage, which focuses on the lifework of a great cinema personality. Both of these sections, which are curated by the Berlin Film Museum, aim to place contemporary cinema within a historical context.

Through film series, workshops, panels and thematic collaborations with other cultural players – the Berlinale offers countless forms of co-operation and creative interaction.

for the complete festivale programm complete programm klick HERE…
Address:

Berlinale – 60th International Film Festival
Main venue of the Berlinale:
Berlinale Palast
10785 Berlin
For tickets…. Central Ticket Sales
From February 8, daily from 10am to 8pm:
– in the Arkaden at thePotsdamer Platz,
– in the Kino International, Karl-Marx-Allee 33/ corner of Schillingstraße,
10178 Berlin-Mitte
– in the Urania, An der Urania 17, 10787 Berlin
Advance tickets may be purchased three days in advance. Tickets for repeat screenings of Competition movies may be purchased four days in advance. On the day of the screening, tickets are only available at the box offices of the cinemas themselves.
Advance ticket sales for all screenings in Friedrichstadtpalast, HAU and the Kiez-Kinos already starts on Monday, February 8.

February 21 is “Berlinale Kinotag”
For the Kinotag, advance sales begin on February 8 at all advance sales points. All tickets for all shows on this day cost just 6,00 €.

Advance ticket sales for Kuliarisches Kino and Metropolis already began.

Ticket payment at the advanced sales box offices by cash or EC Card.

More info here:

How to get there:
Train station:
S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf: S1, S2, S25
Underground:
U Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park: U2
S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf: U2

(text and info´s: berlinale.de)

Reichstag

EastSeven made an amazing top 20 of events and museums you can visit without paying for it, nice .

1. Topography of Terror – Back in 1987 a group of students excavated, with little more than their bare hands, the cellars of Berlins former Gestapo and SS headquarters. The Topography of Terror is the fruit of their labour, an open-air exhibition documenting what happens when a totalitarian regime tortures its people to death for fun.
You can pickup a headset from the reception for English audio commentary.
Next to the Topography of Terror is an excellent art museum called Martin-Gropius-Bau.
2. During the cold Berlin winter we like to provide our guest with a nice warm meal, every monday. It´s a Free Dinner Party for everybody staying at the hostel. Our cook Florian prepares delicious vegetarian meals, every week something different. Its a nice opportunity to meet up with other travelers.
3. Every sunday it is Fleamarket Day in Berlin. Close to the hostel (500 m)you find the Arkonaplatz Fleamarket and the famous Mauerpark fleamarket. You don´t want to buy something – no problem you first of all go there to see all kind of urban subjects with hangover and even sober ones. Berliners go there – you should as well.
4. The Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum.
When visiting Berlin, you should visit some historical sites aswell. for instance the sachsenhausen concentration camp. It’ s not going to be a fun trip, but you will learn so much more about the terrible second world war and its victims.
Opening Hours in winter: 15 October until 14 March: daily 8:30 – 16:30 To get there, take the S1 (S-bahn Wannsee to Oranienburg) until Oranienburg station. This is the last stop and the journey takes around 45 minutes from Berlin-Friedrichstraße station. Trains leave every 20 minutes. You need an ABC-ticket.
There is no entrance fee. Of course you pay when you want to take a guided tour, it costs €15 for up to 15 people, and €25 for up to 30 people.
5. Take the subwaytrain u2 from senefelderplatz to Potsdamer Platz – Potsdamer Platz was the glitzy centre of Germanys debauched 1920s metropolis, and the site Europes first traffic light system. Smashed into rubble during WW II, its now home to Europes fastest elevator and a mass of steel and glass buildings said to represent the future of Berlin.
If you´re there you should definately check out the Sony Centre and Cinemax cinemas for films in their original language (e.g. English).
6. Also a most visit when you are in Berlin : Checkpoint Charlie. This is Berlins most famous crossing point between East and West and a lasting symbol of the citys fragile Cold War relations. Commemorated today by an ersatz replica of the original American checkpoint and two historically inaccurate pictures of Soviet and American soldiers.
Do avoid the museum, its disorganised, expensive, and there is way too much information.
7.Reichstag – The German parliament building, re-opened in 1999 after the government and most of the ministries moved from Bonn to Berlin. British architect Lord Norman Foster redesigned this place, complete with a huge glass dome with public access, so you can watch the politicians at work.
8.The Berlin Wall Documentation Center is one component of the memorial site ensemble at Bernauer Strasse. The ensemble consists of the Berlin Wall Memorial, the Chapel of Reconciliation and Documentation Center. The Documentation Center is officiated by the Verein Berliner Mauer – Gedenkstätte und Dokumentationszentrum, which is supported by an advisory council and bears responsibility for the project content.
The Documentation Center on the history of the Berlin Wall provides historical information and educates the public. It makes information and in-depth programs available to the interested public. Beginning with the historical, political events that occurred at Bernauer Strasse, an area situated at the border between East and West and hence a focal point of German postwar history, the center researches and presents the history of the division of Germany.
The Documentation Center opened on November 9, 1999, the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, with a workshop exhibition titled “Grenzblicke. A new exhibition titled “Berlin, August 13, 1961” has been on display since August 13, 2001. The exhibition, presented in both English and German, was designed by the Berlin company gewerk.
The Documentation Center is housed in a section of the Evangelical Reconciliation Parish. The rooms, provided rent-free, are to be used for documentation and for an exhibition.  NO entrance fee! Yeah!
9. Holocaust Memorial – Berlins ultra-controversial memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, 2,711 concrete blocks jutting off at offensive and suffocating angles. Co-incidentally only a stones throw away from the site of Adolf Hitlers former underground lair, the Führerbunker.
10.Viktoriapark Kreuzberg
Viktoriapark is one of Berlin’s oldest and prettiest parks and offers a great view from the top of Kreuzberg. Have a delicious and cheap vegetarian lunch at Seerose (Mehringdamm 47) and then have a coffee or some ice cream at one of the plenty cafes in Bergmannstraße. Kreuzberg/Viktoriapark @ U-Mehringdamm.

11. Brandenburg gate. Every 10, 20 and 50 cent German Euro coin is minted with a picture of this big city gate on its reverse side. Stranded in a lonely no-mans land between 1961 and 89 thanks to the East German government, no other structure in Berlin better symbolises the temporary division of the city.
Of course you should take your camera and get snapping; its not going anywhere anytime soon.
12. Organic market on Kollwitzplatz every thursday and saturday. On a late Saturday morning you should go to where the locals go – the farmer´s market on Kollwitzplatz – 200 Meters from EastSeven. Fresh organic vegetables, varieties of sausages and a lot more of savoir vivre. By your food of the season there, go back to the hostel and prepare it in our fancy self catering kitchen.
13. Turkish market on maybachufer, Kreuzberg. Every tuesday and friday! experience Berlin’s most famous multi-cultural market. Shop for food or even a pretty souvenir. Cafés and bars
are close by as well. Every tuesday and Friday from 11a.m. to 6.30p.m
Get out at U-Bahn Schönleinstraße.
14. Mauerpark – If you are over 20 and still like to play (particularly with beer bottles), then this is your playground. Its the best place in Berlin for relaxed outdoor boozing and there are hilltop swingsets which are a great spot for watching the sun sink lazily in the West.
Dont miss the fabulous flea market on Sundays.
15. Visit one of the many christmas markets in Berlin. Most of them are free of charge. For instance the one at Alexanderplatz  or the one at the Kulturbrauerei, the Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt.
Go here for a stroll, shop to find some more christmas presents, drink mulled wine and eat german saucages! Nice.
16. Museum Island – Surrounded on all sides by the River Spree, Museum Island is literally an island with museums on it, isnt that clever? It is not only home to some of the citys top class museums such as the Altes Museum and the Pergamon Museum, but also the Berliner Dom and the tranquil Lustgarten.
Visit the island on a Thursday between six and ten for free entrance to the museums.
17. Tacheles – One-time department store then SS headquarters in the heart of Berlins former Jewish quarter, the Tacheles was taken over by squatters in 91. Behind the buildings bombed out façade is a wealth of art studios, two cinemas, 3 bars, a beach bar, a café and a newly opened bourgeois restaurant.
Watch out for the fire-breathing dragon in Café Zapata!
Just opposite youll find delicious French fries served from a dodgy looking trailer called Beckers Fritten.

18. Art & antique market on Straße der 17. juni. Every saturday and sunday. Of course there is no entrance fee here aswell. The market is easy to reach with any s-train from platform 4 at Alexanderplatz. Get out at the stop Tiergarten.

19. Kastanienallee – Dubbed Casting Alley by the locals, this long strip of little cafes, indie fashion designers trading their wares and tasty restaurants is the ideal place to hang out and watch the surprisingly large number of beautiful faces walk by at all hours.
Kastanienallee is home to Berlins largest and oldest beer garden – the Prater.
Recommended Berlin souvenir shop: Luxus International

20. Zionskirchplatz – Life in a resistance group fighting either the Nazis or East German government was often a dangerous affair. Finding somewhere quiet and warm to hold your secret discussions therefore being a number one priority = PBergs 19th century Church of Zion. It is now surrounded by small cafes and restaurants.

When you´re there go  also to the Weinerei, where you can pay for a glass of wine what you think its worth.
Okay, that´s all for now! Hope you have a great time when you visit Berlin. For more nice events in Berlin check our blog and our staff-recommendations.

Berlin Brandenburg Gate

At the Brandenburg Gate on the 9th of november ….

…. dominos will feature in a live performance, which will include the designers of the Domino Action, politicians, contemporary witnesses and guests from all over the world. The former German Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, and the Nobel Peace Laureates Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus and Mikhail Gorbachev will be among the guests.
Almost one thousand dominos have been designed by youths so far, most of them by pupils from Berlin schools. On international level, the co-operation partner Goethe-Institut has sent several dominos into the world which are designed by students as well as artists and intellectuals. This ‘Mauerreise – the wall in the world project’ aims to raise awareness of walls around the world that continue to exist.

In the context of the series of events called MUR|MURS|MAUER|ECHO by the Institut français, German and French students have been enabled to design a total of 15 dominos in workshops together with artists. On 9 November those dominos as well as those of the Geothe-Institut will become part of the performance at the Brandenburg Gate.
The ‘domino effect’ stands for many brave people as well as contemporary witnesses of the Peaceful Revolution in the late 1980s. The protests of some individuals had grown to a strong-willed but peaceful mass movement. The ‘Festival of Freedom’ on 9 November also wants to convey that the events of 1989 and the fall of the Wall not only influenced Germany, but also changed Europe and the world – “German history with a domino effect”. Already on 7 and 8 November, the Domino Gallery made up of around 1000 over-sized dominos will cover a route of around 1.5 kilometres from the Reichstagsufer via the Brandenburg Gate to Potsdamer Platz and will create unique images and impressions close to where the Berlin Wall once stood.

Further information: Hotline +49 (0)30-443 123 330, dominoaktion(at)mauerfall09.de and www.mauerfall09.de/dominoaktion

The Festival of Freedom will begin with an open-air concert at Pariser Platz by the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim. After the concert, the fall of the Berlin Wall will be symbolised by knocking over the designed dominos, which will be broadcast live in ZDF from 19.25 until 20.15. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend this extraordinary event.

Under musical direction of Daniel Barenboim the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsopernchor (choir study: Eberhard Friedrich) play the following programme:

* Richard Wagner: Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III
* Arnold Schönberg: A Survivor from Warsaw, op. 46 (Speaker: Klaus Maria Brandauer)
* Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 A major, op. 92, IV: Allegro con brio
* Friedrich Goldmann: Es ist, als habe einer die Fenster aufgestoßen (Fragment, 2009)

(tekst: mauerfall09.de)

Berlin Museum Night

The EastSeven Berlin Hostel welcomes you to Berlin and to the amazing museum night!

On august the 29th more than 100 museums and cultural institutions in Berlin open their doors at night!
From 6pm to 2am on almost 400 square kilometres – between Glienicke Palace, the Museum at the Waterplant Friedrichshagen and the Museum of Local History Reinickendorf – more than 100 museums and cultural institutions are giving access to their exhibitions, collections and art objects throughout the night, enriched by a variety of events.
There will also be concerts, readings, theatricals and much more.
Seven museums are reachable by foot within the radius of Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz. Behind the Piazzetta the Picture Gallery, Library of the Arts, Copper Engraving and the Museum of Decorative Arts are located. Passing the St. Mathew church, which functions as a concert hall during this Long Night, one reaches the New National Gallery and opposite the Latin-American Institute. Northerly, behind Kammermusiksaal and Philharmonic Orchestra, is hiding the Museum of Musical Instruments. Directly at Potsdamer Platz, the Museum of Film and Television is located which is only a short walk away. The museum is located next to the first bus stop of route 1 and 2 which also serve the Martin-Gropius-Bau.

Bus shuttles make sure everyone can reach the participating museums and cultural institutions comfortably.
You can either choose one out of 5 different routes with a fixed program or make your own route through this truly special event.
Kombiticket:
The Kombiticket is valid in all participating institutions (from 6pm) as well as busses, suburban railways and undergrounds of the Berlin network (ABC) from Saturday, 29th August 2009, 3pm until Sunday, 30th August 2009, 5am

• Pre-selling: 12 Euro, reduced 8 Euro
• Day of the event: 15 Euro, reduced 10 Euro
• Children until the age of 12 have free entrance.

Pre-selling: amongst others in participating museums, theatre box offices, Berlin info stores

Tickets via Internet: www.museumsportal-berlin.de
Detailed program leaflets as well as the combination ticket, which includes the entrance fee and the shuttle ticket, (15 €, kids until 12 free) are available in all the participating museums, at box offices around town, at MD Berlin and online www.ticketonline.de

(text: www.berlin.de)

For more cool events in Berlin check our Event Blog or our Staff Recommendations!!

See you soon in Berlin…

A piece of the Berlin Wall

10 cool tips to have an amazing time in Berlin and save some money!!!!!

EastSeven Berlin Hostel recommends some cool activities and sightseeing, all for FREE.
We have listed up 10 interesting things to see and do in the exciting metropole Berlin.

If you want more insider tips you can also always ask us at the reception or check out our online city info and our online staff-recommendations.

Have fun exploring berlin on a low budget!

Here is our TOP 10:
1.Museums on Thursday night for free: NO ADMISSION FOR ALL STATE MUSEUMS

don’t pay money for culture! most of the state museums are admission free on Thursdays. Simply ask at the reception where to go!

2.Alexanderplatz; 20 Jahre Mauerfall: an Open-Air-Exhibition

The exhibition tells the story of the Peaceful Revolution and its main participants. It documents this exciting time and invites discussion of the results. Free Entry! (text:www.mauerfall09.de)
3.The Gedächtniskirche or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

is the symbolic centre of West Berlin, an anti- war memorial to peace and reconciliation. Following allied bombing during WWII, the original, west Tower has remained standing as a ruin and is hauntingly named the “hollow tooth” as it is literally an empty husk. Immediately recognizable and located on the Breitscheidplatz at the start of the busy shopping district which includes the Tauentzienstrasse and Ku’damm, this is the only building on the square which was spared by the bombing and deliberately preserved as a part ruin. (text: Berlin.de) A visit to this church is definitely worthwhile and also complete FREE!

4.Brandenburg Gate

Every 10, 20 and 50 cent German Euro coin is minted with a picture of this big city gate on its reverse side. Stranded in a lonely no-mans land between 1961 and 89 thanks to the East German government, no other structure in Berlin better symbolises the temporary division of the city. Just go to foot from Unter den Linden and take a closer look at this immense Gate. This Beautiful sight in Berlin is also admission free to visit.
5.Reichstag

The German parliament building, re-opened in 1999 after the government and most of the ministries moved from Bonn to Berlin. British architect Lord Norman Foster redesigned this place, complete with a huge glass dome with public access, so you can watch the politicians at work.

You can get in for FREE. Try to avoid the queues at the Reichstag, make a reservation at Kaefers restaurant at the top of the glass dome. This should get you in the side door.
6.Holocaust Memorial

Berlins ultra-controversial memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, 2,711 concrete blocks jutting off at offensive and suffocating angles. Co-incidentally only a stones throw away from the site of Adolf Hitlers former underground lair, the Führerbunker.

Walk through the memorial, youll quickly realise its not the kind of place you want to have a summer picnic at.
7.Potsdamer Platz

This was the glitzy centre of Germanys debauched 1920s metropolis, and the site Europes first traffic light system. Smashed into rubble during WW II, its now home to Europes fastest elevator and a mass of steel and glass buildings said to represent the future of Berlin.
Check out the Sony Centre and Cinemax cinemas for films in their original language (e.g. English, this is not for free of course!)
8.Volkspark Friedrichshain

A beautiful park, excellent for jogging or having a picnic or barbeque. In the middle you’ll find Friedrichshains highest hill, which provides a 78-metre high view over Berlins flat terrain. The hill was actually man-made to cover up a destroyed anti-aircraft bunker from World War II, as well as several tonnes of bombed out rubble. Also you can play beachvolleyball for free here. They have a special area reserved for beachsports. Its free to use for anyone but you´d have to bring your own equipment.

9.Fleamarket

Sunday is fleamarket day. Close to the hostel (500 m) you find the Arkonaplatz Fleamarket and the famous Mauerpark fleamarket. If you don´t want to buy something – no problem,  you first of all go there to see all kind of urban subjects with hangover and even sober ones. Berliners go there – you should as well, and ofcourse there is no entrance fee here!
10. East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is a 1.3 km-long painted stretch of the former Berlin Wall along the Mühlenstrasse in former East Berlin. It is the largest open-air gallery in the world, free of charge,  with over one hundred original mural paintings. Galvanised by the extraordinary events which were changing the world, artists from all around the globe rushed to Berlin after the fall of the Wall, leaving a visual testimony of the joy and spirit of liberation which erupted at the time.(text: www.berlin.de)

Brandenburg Gate

BIG 25 Berlin on the 10th of may 2009…

Take part when Germany’s most traditional city race will enter a new era. Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, Friedrichstraße, Gendarmenmarkt, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm, Funkturm and finally the unique finish inside the Berlin Olympic Stadium – these are some of the most spectacular sightseeing points you will pass during the race. No need to book a sightseeing tour! Thousands of spectators will cheer you on. Once initiated by the French Allied Forces in West Berlin in spring 1981 the ,25 km de Berlin’ was Germany’s first big city race. On May 4th the event will have a new Take part when Germany’s most traditional city race will enter a new era. Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, Friedrichstraße, Gendarmenmarkt, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm, Funkturm and finally the unique finish inside the Berlin Olympic Stadium – these are some of the most spectacular sightseeing points you will pass during the race. No need to book a sightseeing tour! Thousands of spectators will cheer you on. Once initiated by the French Allied Forces in West Berlin in spring 1981 the ,25 km de Berlin’ was Germany’s first big city race. On May 4th the event will have a new title: BERLIN RUNS … 25 k. Come to Berlin to experience the start of a new era of this traditional running event.
Start 10.00h: Olympic Square (Olympischer Platz) / Siegessäule / Brandenburger Tor / Friedrichstraße / Gendarmenmarkt / Potsdamer Platz / Tauentzienstraße / Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche / Kurfürstendamm / Funkturm / Finish: Olympic Stadium Berlin.

(Text: www.berlin-laeuft.de)

Reichstag

How to spend a day in Berlin? EastSeven Berlin Hostel made a top 20 of popular sights.

Down below you find an overview of  some of the most beautiful and amazing sights in Berlin.  If you´re not sure jet how to spend your day in Berlin, just check out the top 20, with our recommendations on some of the coolest buildings, museums and parks Berlin has to offer! Some of the attractions are even for FREE!!!

For an in-depth look at all of these sights, and many more besides, join the Brewers Best of Berlin Day Tour. Brewers Berlin also offers a free sight seeing tour, which covers most of these sights. Tours also begin at our wonderful hostel.

OUR TOP 20:

1. TV Tower – Built in 1969 as a symbol of East German socialism, this 368m tower, the largest structure in Germany, even has its own revolving café/restaurant. A trip to the top also offered a rare chance for East Germans to see what life on the other side of The Wall was really like.
2. Reichstag – The German parliament building, re-opened in 1999 after the government and most of the ministries moved from Bonn to Berlin. British architect Lord Norman Foster redesigned this place, complete with a huge glass dome with public access, so you can watch the politicians at work.
3. Brandenburg Gate – Every 10, 20 and 50 cent German Euro coin is minted with a picture of this big city gate on its reverse side. Stranded in a lonely no-mans land between 1961 and 89 thanks to the East German government, no other structure in Berlin better symbolises the temporary division of the city.
4. Berliner Dom – Perhaps the most over-decorated protestant church in the world and once home to the Nazi partys Reich church. Bombed out during WW II, the Berlin Cathedral was restored to its current glory in 1993 – complete with a whopping great 7,200-pipe pipe organ.
5. Jewish museum – German-Jewish relations have had their bad times, and surprisingly, although the exhibition names wouldnt give it away, their good times. Daniel Libeskind, the architect behind New Yorks Ground Zero memorial, designed this Museum.
6. Museum Island – Surrounded on all sides by the River Spree, Museum Island is literally an island with museums on it, isnt that clever? It is not only home to some of the citys top class museums such as the Altes Museum and the Pergamon Museum, but also the Berliner Dom and the tranquil Lustgarten.
7. Lustgarten – Dont be confused by the name, Berlins naked people are running around the citys 500acre Tiergarten just down the road. The Lustgarten started its life as a cabbage patch for the nearby city palace, later used as a military parade ground, now a grass garden.
8. Holocaust Memorial – Berlins ultra-controversial memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, 2,711 concrete blocks jutting off at offensive and suffocating angles. Co-incidentally only a stones throw away from the site of Adolf Hitlers former underground lair, the Führerbunker.
9. Potsdamer Platz – This was the glitzy centre of Germanys debauched 1920s metropolis, and the site Europes first traffic light system. Smashed into rubble during WW II, its now home to Europes fastest elevator and a mass of steel and glass buildings said to represent the future of Berlin.
10. Topography of Terror – Back in 1987 a group of students excavated, with little more than their bare hands, the cellars of Berlins former Gestapo and SS headquarters. The Topography of Terror is the fruit of their labour, an open-air exhibition documenting what happens when a totalitarian regime tortures its people to death for fun.
11. Checkpoint Charlie – Berlins most famous crossing point between East and West and a lasting symbol of the citys fragile Cold War relations. Commemorated today by an ersatz replica of the original American checkpoint and two historically inaccurate pictures of Soviet and American soldiers.
12. Gendarmenmarkt – Touted by many guidebooks as the prettiest square in Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt is famous for its two churches – one Protestant, one Catholic – each built opposite each other by the opposing religion. Not often that happens.
13. DDR Museum – Using the paraphernalia of shopping, fashion and family life Berlins DDR museum attempts to introduce visitors to what for millions of East Germans was once everyday life. Play Hausfrau in an authentic DDR kitchen and living room, or experience first-hand what it was like to be spied on.
14. Tacheles – One-time department store then SS headquarters in the heart of Berlins former Jewish quarter, the Tacheles was taken over by squatters in 91. Behind the buildings bombed out façade is a wealth of art studios, two cinemas, 3 bars, a beach bar, a café and a newly opened bourgeois restaurant.
15. Hackescher Markt – Hackescher Markt was once home to booming businesses during the Industrial Revolution. Its now famous not only for its attractive station, but as a jumping off point to the nearby Hackescher Höfe complex.
16. Karl Marx Allee - Rent a bike at the reception and explore this sweeping communist boulevard where the GDR Government used to proudly present their weapons of mass destruction at their May Day parades.
17. Raw Temple – An alternative entertainment hub including an indoor skate hall, a former Nazi hide-out used now for freestyle rock climbing, an open air cinema and regular live music.
18. Volkspark Friedrichshain – A beautiful park, excellent for jogging or having a picnic. In the middle youll find Friedrichshains highest hill, which provides a 78-metre high view over Berlins flat terrain. The hill was actually man-made to cover up a destroyed anti-aircraft bunker from World War II, as well as several tonnes of bombed out rubble.
19. Stasi Headquarters – Take the U5 subway at Alexanderplatz to Magdalenenstrasse and visit the former headquarters of the Stasi – East Germanys cruel and meticulous secret police – in Normannenstr. The building has been transformed into a museum and you can walk through the preserved offices of some of the GDRs most powerful men. A disturbing look at Berlins very recent past.
20. Schloss Charlottenburg – If you are interested in Prussian architecture and history but dont have time to travel to Potsdam, then Schloss Charlottenburg is the perfect inner-city alternative. This outstanding palace and its surrounding gardens are not only visually stunning, but will also give you a detailed insight into the lifestyle of the Prussian emperors.